The Color of Darkness
by SilentWriter3
Summary: Annaliese was no more than a girl flying through life, a life of nothing. Now barely surviving on the streets of Bowerstone, she find a job hiring for to be a maid. But not a maid for any nobleman or women, but for the hated Logan.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I** **do not own Fable, Fable locations or Fable characters.**

**When reviewing/commenting please leave helpful, kind criticism.**

**When reading and reviewing please do not be an a**hole or a thief. **

**The story has a slow abnormal start but will make sense in future chapters.**

The sun was scarcely rousing over the sizeable, renowned town of Bowerstone Market, as it's beaming rays brought the indication for a new to day to awaken. The obscurity sky had vanished, and a fine blue sky was replacing it, along with the cool wind that was stirring through the air.

It's luminous rays pierced through the stained window of the average house, imprinting shadows on the wooden flooring of the attic, that was covered by a peach, frayed rug. Although the window was incredibly diminutive, and contaminated with patches of dirt, making it look rather grimed, it still accept the light's request to glisten the disconsolate home. The home's walls were tattered with an appalling dark pink color of wallpaper that was flaking off and fading of what use to be such a rich color, along with immense spider webs in the corners. And the floor seemed to have never encountered a broom before. It seemed that the only residents of this home were scurrying rats, which nestled in the walls and only came out to fester on fallen food. Their neighbors were abnormal spiders that made one's spine chill.

Annaliese imagined it all in her mind, as she lolled on her cot, with her oval head reclined on the fusty pillow that had a gorgeous, yet torn lace surrounding it. She gazed out at her room, still lazing her body side ways, with thoughts swelling her mind. After a winter-feeling breeze afflicted against her body, she quivered mutely, then pulled the gray blanket over her bare shoulder to stay warm. She massaged her face against the once white, but now a soot yellow color pillow, which made her muffle her saying, "Damn fall weather!"

With a snarl escaping from her mouth, Annaliese leisurely pulled her body half way up, and turned to the edge of the bed. A foot at a time, she brought herself up to stand upon her feet, with the caress of dirt touching them. A loud squeak came from the iron frame of her bed, but Annaliese's only respond to it was a grumble, as she strolled to the other window across the small, meager room. Astoundingly, it was still wide open, inviting the nippy gust to come in.

As she moved towards it, her hand vehemently rubbed against her arms to give some type of warmth. No doubt the fidget air and her petite petticoat undergarments, that was two sizes too small for her and exposed her bare shoulders and her lower legs, were no match. It was incredibly pleasing to the eye, considering there was an embroidery design on the bottom of flowers in white thread, but a white lace on the neck cuff, along with the leg cuff. For the middle of the petticoat, it was nude of color or design, yet was soft and had large black buttons on the back of it, to make it simple to hook up.

After another strident grunt, Annaliese pushed down on the stained glass window's frame and with great vigor, she shut it with a piercing clash. Her auburn hair, with honey highlights, was plaited firmly and no hair out of place, thrashed against her back as she did so. "That should work," she garbled, satisfied with her work.

"Anna! Anna, hurry up," cried the sound of a younger, shrilled voice, drowning in enthusiasm. Emerging from the opening square in the floorboards, which led to the downstairs, a head busted out and came clambered on the ladder in her leather boots. "Anna hurry up! King Sparrow is making a speech today and I'm dying to visit the castle."

Annaliese couldn't spare a chuckle at her little sister's folly. "You just want to visit it because you enjoy the scenery. Soon you'll learn like everyone else," explained the fifteen year old girl, as she moved towards her wardrobe to find apparel for today, "King Sparrow is only for himself and his family. He doesn't give a bugger for low-class because he's sleeping on a pile of gold every night. Our gold!"

Emmeline walked over to the iron bed, while she sank down onto it, scrutinizing her older sister. "Dad hates the monarch too! He says they deserve to go straight to bloody hell," repeated the young girl, who was only around the age of eight.

"Don't talk like that or ma will bring out the soap." Annaliese took out a purple dress that was plain, while scolding her. "But dad's right. I hate all the bastards who sit their arse on that throne. All they do is steal from the poor and looking down at the lower-class. Believe me Emmy, King Sparrow and his companions our sitting at their elegant tables, feasting on duck and fish that a honest man worked to get, and not caring at all about the people on the street," she sighed, while pulling the dress over her head and rustled through it to get her arms through the long sleeves. "He doesn't give a da-"

"That's what dad said too. I don't get it, why is everyone saying the king is mean but he seems so nice to everyone?"

"It's an act. King Sparrow just want us all to follow him so he doesn't have to deal with rioting! And people coming to beg for gold!"

Emmeline's small hazel eyes gradually glance up from the school book that she had taken off of the insecure nightstand and whispered, "Like us?"

Annaliese curved her head to stare at her, feeling a sudden emotional wound after the remark. "Yeah, yeah like us," she replied quietly, heaving out a pair of fleece, black stockings that was lodged in between the impaired draws.

Her adolescent sister recoiled from the bed, letting another obnoxious squeak escape from the iron frame, although both paid little heed to it. Her small feet paddled against the floor, as she strolled to her sister, who was striving to put on her stockings. "Do you wish you could be royalty?" questioned Emmeline.

"I'd rather die than be a part of those pricks!" she retorted.

"But they have those beautiful dresses!" the young girl exclaimed with a gleeful grin arousing on her face, as she imagined herself in a dress, so elegant that only queens could afford. She clasped her hands together and brought her shoulders to her neck, daydreaming and fantasizing. "And everyone knows who you are! And no one could ever tease you for your dresses or your hair being dirty, and your mum or dad could never tell you what to do! You control everyone!"

Annaliese forced a smile, knowing her sister was referencing to the child at their school house. She incline her body downwards, and gave a quick kiss onto her ash blonde hair, that was oily from lack of bathing. It didn't matter; bearing in mind her hair was the same way, that's why she kept her hair in a braid or some type of bun. "Let's go lil' sis," she said, as she descended down the ladder, "I can't hear you blab anymore or I'll be sick!"

Emmeline trailed behind, still with fabricated visions in her mind of wearing a golden dress and having her dehydrated hair healthy and sleek, put into radiant pipe curls. In her hand a golden rod, that gave her authority to sentence the harassing child from her school to execution.

Annaliese found her mother, elderly and furrowed with crow's feet and fine lines surrounding her hazel eyes, edging a silk blue dress in her fragile hands with an enlarged needle and rocking gradually on the old chair in front of the fire place. Her eyes were locked onto to the making the stitching perfection.

"Good morning ma," greeted her daughter, gazing at the dress and strolling towards the table to pour herself a glass of milk. "Looks rather nice. Think the tailor will finally give you an honest price?"

"Two hundred-fifty coins, exactly," garbled her mother, avoiding any type of eye contact. "Should at least pay off some debt of ours."

"I could get a job, ma," Annaliese suggested, setting the glass down. "The tavern's looking for a new bar maid."

Her aged mother provided a heavy sigh for the comment. "I will not have any child of mine being some type of bar whore for drunks. My dresses will give us some sort of support."

The young teenager passed the chance to fight, for she knew there would be no hope in being victorious when arguing with her elder mother. She just observed the women, leisurely rocking in the chair and gabbling away with her shuddering hands stitching.

"Come on!" Emmeline cried out from behind, aggressively taking Annaliese's hand and hauling her over to the door. "We gotta get going or we won't be able to see!"

"Best we should. I guess you won't be joining, will you ma?" she asked as her animated sister strived to get her to come.

"No, I must finish. Barry's out back, take him with, last thing I need is another word from the guard telling me my boys up to more trouble." The elderly women laid back on her chair, while huffing, "Just like his damn father."

Annaliese let a small grin escape from the thought of it. But there was little to no time to think when an energetic child is drawing you away with a robust strength in her. "Come on! I wanna see the princess!" fussed Emmeline.

Her older sister jerked the two brown fleece coats from the rack, sprinting behind her sister.

Just where they predicated, they found their older brother down at the Bowerstone pier, with both eyes beaming with happiness and a scornful smile on his face. His orange colored hair was unruly and muddled, even though it was rather short and his bangs tumbling in his eyes. Barry's face was enclosed by patches mud, although he was looking down at the brown satchel in his grasp and it looked incredibly arduous to hold.

"What did you do?" asked Annaliese. She knew to presume something.

He took a few steps near his sisters, while unraveling the tie for the bag, still with a wick grin. "I just went shopping for a few goodies," Barry smirked. He open the bag, revealing the mystery of what was inside of it.

She peered inside and forcefully clouted his arm, making him move away chuckling with amusement. "Damn it Barry, what's the hell is wrong with you!" she screeched. "What are you going to do when you get caught, huh? Ma won't be able to bail you any more, nor even want to since you're so moronic that you won't stop being stupid!"

"Welax," laughed her brother, with the obvious speech impediment and pulling out a necklace, with a diamond dangling in the middle of the chain. "No one saw anything."

"What are we going to do with these things?" she questioned, searching through the bag of stolen goods.

A sneer came to Barry's face, but it was a common expression. "Re-sell?"

Annaliese stared daggers at him, with eyes filled with revulsion, although it couldn't change the gleeful expression lurking on his face. She knew her words or any statement wouldn't make him think any differently. "Come on dumbie, we're going to go see King Sparrow talk up some lies," she demanded, taking Emmeline's small hand into her own.

"Oh Emmy…don't you want a pwetty necklace?" the natty voice asked making their young sister curve her head with interest.

Emmeline stared up towards her sister, with brown eyes begging 'please'.

"Okay fine, you can take it," groaned Annaliese, seeing in the corner of her eye a smile emerging on both of her siblings faces.

The girl dashed to her brother, with hands wide open to receive the remarkable piece of jewelry. Barry gently put it over her head, while commenting, "There really is _no _price for a smile! Right, Anna?"

Annaliese, with full aggravation, rolled her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Pardon me for the pause on writing, *sigh* another year of high school. And this chapter whipped my a** since I was at a lost for where to take it.**

**I've been blabbering in my head with thoughts on how to make it all work(Annaliese encountering Logan, learning about her father, finding ways for her to end up in the condition to be a maid, how Barry becomes psychopath's butler) so this may have just been a little more of the inside to who Annaliese truly is. **

**Bare with me, I was in a bit of writer's blocks!**

**Thanks for the happy review and kind followers!**

"Hurry up!" cried Emmeline as she raced further on, her leather boots lobbing up dust from the cobblestone streets.

Annaliese and Barry were four feet far, paying little heed to her whining. She darted like there were bavlerines hunting her, but her siblings strolled like it was a pleasant evening to cherish the scenery.

Though it was a challenge, considering Barry was lounging around that outsized sack overflowing with stolen possessions, having both hands gripping it with it over his shoulder and having it collide against his back with every move. Fortunely for them, suspicion and embarrassment was spared since down the road seemed vacant, though most people were already at the castle.

Annaliese huffed at the top of your voice, enough for Barry to glance over at her. "You would look better with a stick and a handkerchief. At least people wouldn't think we're crooks," she garbled.

"They'd think we were homeless beggaws!" He snickered obnoxiously letting out a sigh while saying, "How fun that would be!"

"Least we won't have someone's gun up to our head. A furious villager or one of King Sparrow's little pawns."

"You get ovew it Annie, you nagging won't make me think anything else. You and ma can keep up with the blah, blah, blah, but it won't save me a damn. Nor ouw condition."

"Stealing helps our situation?"

He shook his head a barely, mostly thinking of some sort of new snaky remark or something to up hold his care-free attitude that also provided wit and some allure. But now, he was at a dead end, unsure what to say to her.

The teenager just blew air out of his nose, still with the bag whacking against his back, making him pull it up farther. "If I answewed twuthfully," murmured Barry, staring down the street and watching as the elegant scene of the castle became closer and little Emmeline became farther from her running, "that would only pwove nagging and lectuwing works." He smuckered his lips loudly, as he continued on. "I got actually a new plan ahead of me, shall I say a new impwovement in my caweer."

Annaliese's eye bulged up and her thick eyebrows curved with aggravation. "What are you planning on doing? Another tavern? Flirt with the bar whore, get her eyes off those coins she's counting and snatch them up once you start lusting her?" she asked. "Or sneak into the open window of the general store during the night and pray to the gods you aren't seen?"

Barry, despite his age of seventeen, he was smaller than the lamp poles on the streets, slender, but strikingly short of height. And with his body, he could easily blend into the common crowd, a blessed thing for pick-pocketing, and flitting through the window that had been unintentionally left open by the clumsy shop owner. "Nah, that's getting old and now that I'm so confident," he chuckled as Annaliese rolled her eyes, "I think it's time fow a new game. Something a bit mowe exciting….but also wewarding too."

His eyes peaked towards her, wanting to know if this was peeping her interest.

And it was.

All too satisfying for him, he continued sharing his scheme. "I was thinking tonight…tomowwow maybe, I'll just walk down to Millfield, won't be too long from here and maybe visit that nice, thwee-stowy mansion acwoss the lake. I heaw it has some of the sweetest things in it, all worth a heap of gold," snickered the ginger like an evil doctor who had just invented a killer creature, rubbing his hand together and a smile of insanity.

"You bloody idiot! You could never make it out alive, Reaver and his damn guards would shot you the second you're scene! Steal from anyone else but Reaver, the man is known to be the best shot and the most careless." She shook her head while staring daggers at him, but in the end it didn't seem to bother him.

"Weavah?" Barry asked then tittering as he threw down the large bag, departuring it on the side of the road. "Blah. That top-hatted dandy doesn't scawe me; he's just a bloke with a gun and a walking stick. Besides my little sistew, I've all ways wanted to die young if it's what it comes down to. And I have bequeathed all of my goods to you."

She didn't say anything else to him, no value in doing so. Barry was self-absorbed, persistent and dumb, dumb enough to think he could escape the wraith of Reaver and just waltz out of his mansion as if he was just a visitor. And stubborn enough to not even have his planned changed.

On the most common day, Bowerstone Castle's grounds were bare and empty, lacking human life, though it was typical for a few nobles, both women and men, to be caught strolling the area. But now, now it was an ocean of people, not just nobles in powder wigs, waist coats, and their starched vocabulary. They were dots in the huge crowed, mingling in with the middle-class and even the lower class. It was unsurprising that most though were nearest to the castle's entrance, awaiting impatiently for the royal family to reveal themselves behind those bold size doors with beaming handles, that shimmered from the sunlight.

Annaliese's eyebrows sprang up once she noticed.

Almost every from from Albion seemed to be there.

"Bloody gods!" she cried out to her older brother. "We'll suffocate in that group."

"I think Emmeline would wather go with that than be hewe like sitting ducks," he said watching from the corner of his green eyes as Emmeline jumped up and down to see pass the large crowed. He chuckled, "Well thank goodness for us for being so small. Come on."

Barry grabbed Emmeline's hand with no hesitation or fear of marring her, and dashed through openings in the crowed. He even thrust a few people out of their place to get to the front, all with his little sister clinging onto him from behind as their feet dashed.

Annaliese staggered from behind, bumping into others who then hissed at her or gave a starting look to her.

Those looks were so distracting she soon found herself lost in the crowed, turning every direction to see where Barry and Emmeline had gone to. But all she could find were villagers all piling against her, pushing her forward. "Barry! Barry! Barry, damn it where are you!" screeched Annaliese with her hands cuffed around her mouth, shouting in each direction. "Emmy! Emmy where are you?"

Nobody heard her.

No one could hear anyone. Their voices were nothing but sounds of…of a rat scurrying around on a ship, you could hear somewhat of them, but in all they were nothing. Instead the air was filled with sounds of trumpets being blown loudly; some people were even talking loudly like they're still at the tavern sharing an amusing story.

And suddenly, it stopped.

Everyone now shot their heads towards the doors, stunned looks on their faces and a few smiles creeping across.

In her eyes, it had seemed world had complete stopped turning, moving, it has just froze into place with everyone in it. Sound was rare, it felt as if no one was even breathing and not even a person could move one step, just eyes open like a gigantic creature was in front of them.

But this was no creature; this was just a bold soldier with gruffly facial hair coming onto the stairway. He was young in the face, but unattractive from where she stood.

"Oh," a voice finally said, it was a female that sounded like a small child, "Sir. Walter is presenting today, how magnificent! King Sparrow is a good friend of his."

Annaliese took only a quick glance over her should, relieved that there was actually a voice.

"Citizens of Albion, I present to you the royal family," Walter's booming voice pronounced, with an uproar of applause. "King Sparrow, Lady Victoria, Prince Logan and Princess Rose."

A loud cry of excitement was heard throughout the land, there were cries of joy, even some jumping up and whistling obnoxiously as everyone watched from below the two doors open, though Annaliese hardly paid any attention, she was more attached to finding her brother and sister. Making filthy remarks wouldn't be the wisest choice around these people. But even she found herself glancing up at the stairway, wondering what Lady Victoria's dress was today.

And for today, it was the color of a blood red with a white lace over the crew neck of it, showing off her large cleavage. Imprinted on the dress were small swirls of gold, like the color of her champagne hair. Her dress seemed so heavy looking on her, weighing down upon her and the goth black shoes with a long heel couldn't make her any comfortable.

Even the princess was wearing those elegant, painful apparels, even though she was about six, hiding behind her mother's gown as the loud booming noise from the crowed frightened her.

"She's look quiet well doesn't she?" asked a hefty size nobleman who was to the side of Annaliese. He was standing tall and proudly, even taller with a wig on, that curled on the side and his large stomach showing in his white trousers.

"King Sparrow made an exceptional choice for marriage," another nobleman approved.

The young teenager rolled her brown eyes at them, but held her tongue. She found nothing in the royal family, not even looks; they would seem like common folks on the streets if you subtracted the gallons of makeup Lady Victoria wore and her bee hive hairstyle. Then took those childish brown pipe curls out of Rose's hair and floral dress. And robbed Sparrow of his long, gray curls and his glowing crown.

But for Logan, Annaliese had never seen him before actually.

She rarely visited these types of things and was much more pleased staying at her house, but there was the occasional time. Sparrow had a brilliant advancement for the future and for months, even years, he had people building this industrial outside of the market. When it was presented, Annaliese's father had taken her to watch the ceremony. But she was so young at the time it was a blur in the mind, she couldn't remember if Logan had come too. Or was it just King Sparrow and Lady Victoria who had went?

Then there was the time Princess Rose had just been born, she came to that ceremony too and much older that she could visualize what happened that day. It begun like this ceremony did, the loud sound of trumpets in the air, flowing with flower pedals and a crowed bigger than the eye could see. A different soldier had begun that one though; he was young, slender and tall like the mountains.

But Prince Logan …he was no where to be found. Not standing proudly with his family on the stage, gazing out at his future subjects as they cheered loudly.

"Looking at how cute they awe?" a voice asked cooing, Barry's speech impediment right to the side of her.

Her concentration Logan was turned away, as she looked to her brother, with one arm draped down and one being hugged to by Emmeline. "We lost ouw good spots 'cause of you…" he said in his chirpy tone as he rocked on the heels of his feet.

Annaliese's brown eyes scanned to see a new view of the prince, barely making contact to Barry or anyone else, just appearing rather odd as she stood on her tip-toes watching. But it was hopeless, everyone was now cramping together in front of her. "Damn," she grunted.

"Looking for someone in particulaw?" asked her brother with a widen smirk.

"No…I'm just," she muttered as she bobbed her head in each outlook. "Agh! Must there be so many people at these bloody things!"

"A king's speech? Nah, most wather go to a pub."

"Shut it, Barry, you know what I mean."

Barry brushed off the statement no doubt that was never the worse thing he had told her.

For Annaliese, she was growing more impatient by each second and irritated by these fools who stood in front of her, blocking her view. A voice in her head told her to just shove them out of the way; yet making a scene at a public announcement would not be in the best interest for improving her reputation. Many people knew her as the poor girl, and she would keep it like that and not turn it into anything dire.

"I think ouw sistew might have visit fathew's liquor cabinet this morning, Emmy," he whispered to Emmeline as he watched his other sister bounce around for a better way to see.

Emmeline giggled madly, making it impossible for her to say something. Her mouth was an inch open, ready to speak but there was a sudden noise that loudly interrupted her.

A scream.

Although screaming was the most usual thing to hear in a heard of people like this, this wasn't a scream of joy, this was a more recognizable scream of fear. Their eyes blasted to Annaliese, where she had fallen to the gravel ground with a few other people surrounding her, who also has hit the solid ground.

"I'm so sorry about that." She scrambled to her feet, truly humiliated, while skimming around her as everyone else came to their feet too.

The citizens ignored her, although their face clarified that her apology didn't take much effect and walked away to continue on watching the speech. It had started a minute ago, though the kids didn't really notice since Annaliese was too busy searching and Barry and Emmeline were too busy gaping at their sister.

"Damn girl!" a man, buffed and strong appearing, stronger than any man in the group boomed as he stood onto his feet. His arms, like his whole body, were muscular and bold like he could throw a blacksmith across the castle and have them land in the gardens.

"I'm really sorry sir, I was just wanting to see…," Annaliese apologized once again, now striving to stay polite.

But this middle-class man was a beastly creature disguised in clothing, tattered and foul rags stitched together. His scrubby beard made him like a pirate, but his eyes made him look even more petrifying.

"Why don't you move out of the way you filthy buggin' whore!" he hissed.

"Excuse me siw," Barry said kindly as he moved up to the man who looked ready to pounce on his young sister. "When someone says sowwy, the most unidiotic wepsonse is to say 'it's all wight' and not be a complete bloody lunatic. Even a fat face pwick like you can do that, can't ya?"

She quickly latched onto his arm, but tugged him back after seeing the fire raging through the man's eyes. "Barry…it's all right," she whispered loudly.

"Yeah Bawwy," the large man mocked, imitating the teenager's speech impediment since anger made it more obvious sounding, "why don't ya go with your little nutter sister and go play with your little toy guns and let the adults listen to the speech." He bent down to Barry's eye level, just to abuse him more on his childish looks, and ruffled his dirty orange hair, making it even more unruly. "I'm sure your mommy will give you a cookie if you're good."

Barry and Annaliese were different looking, saved the face, but along with that, there were things you could never mention to because if you did a trigger set off in their mind, and it was an explosion waiting to happen.

For Barry that trigger was pulled when you assail him with his speech impediment, his small child-like height or the insult on his family. Annaliese knew that right away as she watched flares rage into his eyes, now turning both into the same color. And hanging down was his hand clutched in a red fist. "Maybe if your arse wasn't as fat as hell," he growled between gritted teeth, "my sistew wouldn't have to bump into a damn ugly, slob wetch like you so she could actually see."

Annaliese hugged Emmeline closer, blushing madly as she looked around. A huge crowad around them was watching, intrigued by what was happening and what all the shouting was about. Once again, she attempted to stop Barry. "Barry Hatch!" she cried, remember whenever her mother scolded him as a lad, she would use both his first and last name to get his attention.

It worked, somewhat. He peered over his shoulder to see his sisters standing there and now a whole group of eyes all on him.

"Hatch? You wouldn't perhaps be Randle Hatch's kid would you be?" Barry heard the man behind him ask. The name of his lost father was interesting to hear, since he hadn't heard it come from one's mouth in a very long time. "Yeah…you look exactly like the man, small and you got the same attitude too," continued the man with an emerging smirk as he whipped his brow that was oily. "Gee, I remember meetin' him at a pub, drunker than anyone else, whining about how he had no money and had to leave his three bastard children back in the market with his mentally ill wife."

"Shut the hell up!" yelled Barry, attracting more attention from other villagers.

"Tah, he was a pathetic fool! Waste of life if you ask me. He should have been hung for what he had done, shot a bullet through his numbskulled mind. But no, like a pathetic idiot he escaped. He was a-."His words were cut off and started to moan like a cow being branded, it was shrilling loud that everyone turned to stare at him with bulging eyes. But there was a mixture of squeals and women screaming like a man was climbing up their hoop skirts.

However, the man couldn't even see his hand that was marked right in front of him, his whole vision was stirring in a haze and it seem as if a heavy whip of fog was coiling around him. He could see nothing, except that bright red stain appearing onto his shirt and the raining blood from his nose. And right before he collapsed to the ground, he could see a small fist pointing aimed to his nose.

Barry stood their, rather stunned by what he had just done and he looked back towards everyone. "Well, that suwe shut him up, didn't it!"exclaimed the boy looking around at the crowd, seeing the terror in their eyes.

"Come on, Barry," Annaliese muttered so the silent crowad couldn't hear her. "We should just leave now."

He finally obeyed, but first not without giving the man, who was slowly coming back to mind with the assistance of others around him, a wicked smirk of enjoyment and a nod of the head. No doubt, for a boy like Barry, right hooking a two hundred fifty pound beast was one of the greatest accomplishments yet for him.

They walked down to the gate, with people moving aside as they did so, just staring at them silently. Some were shaking their head, others just kept looking.

Just before they left, when they were one foot away from leaving the crowd, Annaliese turned back, but not to look at the others, to look at what it was that she wanted to. He was far in her vision, but she could see his black hair, slicked back blowing gently with the fall breeze and she saw those eyes of brown lighten with amusement from the fight.

She smiled as she saw him and ironically a smile crept across his face too, as if Logan could see her from that far. And she couldn't understand why, but she felt a wave of the most abnormal feel inside of her. It was undesirable with words, no statement or phrase could make any sense or have you the feel.

**Oh dear, this chapter! I've been busy school shopping, meeting with old friends, my family going camping, and my dad and I begun selling are rabbits so I explain to you why this chapter may have had a drop. Thankfully school will be the only pressure on me and since I'm a senior I will be getting out early, so more time to write!**


	3. Chapter 3

The second level of Annaliese's house was abundantly lit with candles, with the mere hum of them flickering, comparable to the street lamps outside.

Annaliese's chin relaxed on the window's frame, inspecting from across the street as numerous people were stridently partying or drinking in the tavern tonight, creating it to be unbearable for others to sleep. She massaged her brown eyes, frantically, in hopes to keep that from fluttering as they were.

Her attention turned away from the city lights once she recognized the sound of leather boots clumping against the ladder, making a loud racket. "Are you really going to attempt something this stupid?" asked Annaliese clearly as Barry came closer down.

Their eyes were locked together for an entire minute, with both waiting for him to provide an answer. "You talk like I'm going to go kill the guy, I'm just taking a few things off of his hands," the seventeen year old boy enlightened, but in a more calm tone.

"He'll kill you! He'll shoot you right on sight and then what?"

"Then I'll be dead."

She rolled her eyes perturbed while she came to her bare feet and her nightgown fell down at the end, wrinkled. Her steps made a creak sound as she sauntered across the wooden floorboard near him, making it more visible to see the moisture in her eyes, and a red emerging around them. "Please don't do this. I don't care if you steal from anyone else, I don't care about those people you pick-pocket and I don't care if you have to go to the jail cell for a few nights or have to do community services for years," she pleaded with a tear flowing down her cheek, "because at least then I can be secured that your safe!"

Barry continued to have a blank expression while he moaned, "I'll be back in the mowning! You think a guy like Weavah could evew catch me? Bloody damn, he's pwobably sitting in his pwrivite study dwinking some impowted wine wight now, giving me the pewfect chance to get in that mansion and take his goods," he said gleefully with the most widest smile.

"Damn it, don't you hear one word I'm saying to you!" Annaliese barked as she clutched his shoulder and came closer to him, enough to feel his breath to hers. "This isn't people from here, it's not the idiots you meet here in Bowerstone. This is a man with guards outside of his house, guarding it with their rifles and will let them shot any trespasser who puts one foot on his lawn!"

Now tears gushed down her face like rain, her voice became crackled and it become problematic to even remember how to breath. It felt as if her lungs had died that very moment. "Please don't do this to me!" she shouted as she lugged him close and wrapped her arms around his slender body, unable to see with the haze that was caused by the countless tears. "I'm sorry I said you weren't helping out situation, you're the only one who is doing something about it. If you leave now who will take care of us? Who will take care of me and Emmy? Please don't go…please don't, I won't have anyone!"

Barry was astonished; eyes filled with confusion to see his sister for once break down like this. And now that ordinary grin that was filled with planning and scheming had been erased with a look of sorrow.

He pulled her away to see Annaliese's face again, this time it was wetter than before. "I'll be back, I'd nevew leave you guys like this Anna. Look," he muttered as his sister strived to get her breathing under control, "I'm going to go and sneek in thewe and tomowwow I'll be home with a bag filled with Weavah's finest crap and we'll go to the pawn bwocker and we'll sell and make the biggest pwofit we evew had."

She started to shake her head quickly and look as if she was on the brink of another break down, so Barry promptly picked her chin back up. "Hey, hey, and whenever anothew collectow comes back awound or someone else dad conned we'll have enough gold to get them the hell out of hewe." He gave her a small smile as he said, "And then we go to the dwess shop and get you something and Emmy something and we won't have to hide in a new house evewy month because some hit man is aftew us or a debt collectow come in and take what's rightfully ouws."

Annaliese listen thoroughly and profoundly inside her a place thought it would have been the best choice, but the consequence if he got caught rang through her mind. She gulped with a tear coming from her left eye, putting her head down. "But…but…what…what if you get caught?"

He freed a sigh as he begun to turn away, just in a split second to see petite Emmeline positioned at the landing of the stairway in her mint colored nightgown, sucking her thumb and cuddling her rag doll against her chest that was sheltered by her locks. She appeared fatigued, but her expression was evolving into a more mystified look once she saw Barry standing there is his day clothes. "Barry," she mumbled in her sweet tone voice, "why are you dressed? Mum will get mad if you're not in bed."

He looked back at Annaliese, shooting a wound stare at her since his plan to sneak out without awaking Emmeline had failed. Emmy was the one with the largest mouth, ready to go off about anything no matter what you bribed her with, candy, gold, a shop from the gift stall, nothing could pay her off and with Barry escaping, and she would quickly go blab on him.

"Oh Emmy," he smiled as he knelt down on one of the steps, "Emmy, Emmy, I'm just going to be gone for a little bit, but I'll be back tomowwow mowning."

Annaliese watched as she stepped an inch back, encountering the wall. She looked hurt, with her bottom lip quivering. "You'll not coming back! You'll leaving us!" she yelled.

"No, no, no Emmy, I'm not going to leave you guys." He crept closer forcing a smile onto his face as he reached out for her. "I pwomise you that I'll be back, I just need to visit a place, but when I come back, we'll going to go get you a new doll. But she's not going to be stitched fwom wags, she's going to be made out of glass and have a dwess with lace, a doll fit enough for a pwincess," he muttered while staring deep in the darkness of her pupils. "And you'll nevew going to be teased by those ugly giwls at school 'cause we're poow."

Barry stood back to his feet with the help of the loose stair railing. It trembled madly as he grasped onto it and come back onto his leather boots, while his face remained on hers. He pulled her up into his petite arms, and she clung onto him like flies onto a wall, she was so near he could feel her small heart pounding against her flat chest and a tear falling onto his shoulder. "But you can't tell mum 'bout this, she just doesn't want you to have a doll," he whispered softly into her ear as she wrapped her small legs around his waist.

Barry placed her back down onto the steps with a loud grunt, while he ruffled her locks to create them even more messier. "Be good." He strolled down the steps casually after exchanging a look to both his sisters, giving a slight nod of the head.

Emmeline spun around to see Annaliese, appearing rather sad. "Anna, Anna you got to stop him!" she cried out with her feet pounding against the floorboards as she sprinted towards her sister, who grasped on her arm. "Stop him! Stop him now, stop him, he's leaving like daddy did." She pulled harder on the arm, pleading with every breath, but Annaliese remained standing.

She finally opened her mouth to speak. "I can't Emmy, he won't listen to me, he's going."

Deep within her, she felt guilty for letting Barry just leave and she knew even farther inside, he may never see their faces again, but on another side of her she was quite happy he was going to steal from the wealthy Reaver. She has never put her trust or confidence in him, yet she saw what an impressive thief he was and maybe he would be the lucky person in the end and be the only survivor to retrieve goods from the Millfield Manor house, making it out alive and well. Annaliese knew just from the scenery and structures of Millfield that any thing in that area cost more than houses in the industrial in some cases.

And the gold and wealth they would be blessed with if he came out alive.

"I'm sorry," whispered Annaliese. "But he's made his choice."

The small girl dropped her arm, going backwards silently with a furious look upon her face. "No! You gotta get him back Anna, he has to stay with us!" she screeched.

"Emmy I can't." Annaliese gulped down the lump far in her throat, attempting to touch her sister.

She didn't have the chanced.

Emmeline whirled around in an instant, racing down those steps in flying seconds with shattered look across her face. Even with her name being called out from behind her, she ran down to the first level of the house, shoving past household martial just to get outside into the darkness. Once she finally did, the moment her feet encountered the coldness of the cobblestone and the breeze of the nighttime air, she cried out with the loudest scream, "Barry!"

Annaliese rushed out behind her only to find the streets empty, with only light from stars above and the beam from the tavern across the road, where loud noises of all sorts were being called. She moved towards her sister who was stilling scanning around for their older brother that had disappeared that very moment. Her eyes were round and watery from the endless tears as she placed her head down.

"Emmy," she heard Annaliese's bolder voice whisper behind and felt the soft touch of her sister's hand on her shoulder.

She shoved it off once she turned to look at her, staring with eyes drowning in fiery. "Why didn't you stop him! Why! He's not coming back now, Anna!"

With every word Annaliese could feel her younger sister's agony and she deeply just wanted to embrace her in a large hug, to soothe her away from the pain that was scratching at her.

After a minute of silence, Emmeline hauled past her and went back inside of the lit house, leaving Annaliese behind quietly.

For the oddest of reasons Annaliese had kept herself awaken the long night, with millions of thoughts flying around in her mind. She stood still on the wooden oak chair, rocking back and forth on it every so often, but mostly kept her eyes directed on the large hanging clock, against the west wall of the house. Each time it struck a new hour, her body trembled with fear and a part of her faith died. She closed her dark brown eyes, whispering prayers to the gods for Barry's safe return. But each time the door remained shut, was another moment of terror running through her.

She hadn't realized how long it had been until she saw light piercing through the windows upon the floorboards and outside was a beautiful morning filled with sun and other villagers retreating out from their homes. Mornings were loved, until today; it was everything Annaliese was trying to avoid. The moment the sun arrives would be the time all truth about Barry being alive would be revealed.

The door continued to stay shut, until it was around nine. Annaliese quickly noticed a movement from outside, then saw the doorknob begin to turn to the side, giving a smile come across the young girl's face and a speck of happiness bounce inside of her.

She sprung from the rocking chair only to find her elderly mother entering through the doorway, with a fatigued look.

Her mother noticed her first, before anything else and opened her mouth slightly. "What are you doing dressed like that?" she asked sternly like a guard who has just caught a burglar.

Before she could even respond Emmeline came rushing down the stairs for a second time, still in her mint night gown and still with hair in frizzy locks. Around the edges of her eyes they seemed red and swollen, perhaps from all those tears.

She ignored past Annaliese and clung onto her mother, rubbing her face on her chest. "Mommy, mommy," she sobbed, "mommy, Barry's gone."

Her mom shoved her away, looking stunned out of her mind. "What are you saying child? What do you mean your brother is 'gone'?" she questioned seeming rather puzzled as she studied around the small room. "To go shopping?"

"No! He left last night and said he wouldn't come back home anymore," Emmeline answered.

Annaliese could have spoke up and said it was not at all what he had truly said, but her words didn't seem to matter at a time like this. Her mother was wanting to know what had happened, not what had not happened or what was not said. And Emmeline was so young she would exaggerate any type of thing.

"And she didn't try to stop!" the teenage girl heard her sister declare once she looked to see Emmeline frowning towards her angrily and had her small finger aiming straight to her.

Their mother looked back to her, now also becoming rather furious. She took three deadly steps towards the girl, when after asking, "Annaliese where is your brother?"

Annaliese tried to go backwards or hope to find something that would change the subject, but nothing could. Both family members were staring daggers at her, waiting impatiently for an answer.

"He…he left." There would be more noise from a pin dropping than her voice.

But with her mother, save that she was old, had a hearing so magnificent that she could hear sound quieter than that. "Where did he go to?" her mother's voice boomed.

Her head kept looking at the floor as if it would save her somehow, but it was just those dusty wooden boards that had old foot prints remaining on it. "He went to go steal," she finally whispered while she took a large gulp and brought her head back up.

"Where?"

"He…he…he went-"

"Answer me!"

"He went to Millfield."

Her mother's expression changed into nothing. Her face was complete blank, lifeless as she fell onto the table's chair, murmuring to herself. She kept her head up and stared straight forwards, with not even a blink of the eyes, just with her lips moving.

Annaliese watched, but said nothing. Maybe she was too deep in thought. "Mother," she said once she set a hand on the women's shoulder.

"Who is he stealing from?" asked the elderly women with her eyes towards the wall with chipping paint.

"Mother please-"

"Where Annaliese!"

Annaliese murmured something underneath her breath, before saying, "The manor house, the one that that, man, Reaver lives in."

Things froze, time stopped and their hearts seemed to stop beating. A silent tension flowed through the room, while both avoided to stare at each other. There was no movement, not even from Annaliese who had been standing there for more than twenty minutes. She kept her head down in disgrace.

"I must go rest," a voice said after two minutes and there was the sound of a chair sliding across the floor roughly. The sound than changed to large feet scuffling against the floorboards in rugged shoes.

"Mum," murmured the young girl, pleading in her mind that the elderly women would turn to face her.

But her mother instead continued up the narrow steps without a glance back.

Annaliese stood on the last low step of the clock tower, gazing out at the slowing horizon. Mixtures of colors were twirling around the sun with the faint breeze of fall air and far behind her was a darkening night sky. Her jacket flew with the gust of air along with her auburn bandages that usually swept across her eye and her braided hair across her shoulder.

Her eyes were stilled on the stone bridge which led down the far road to Millfield, looking deep within it.

Each moment she could see a distant figure, a spark of joy came to her, but after it was revealed that it was a simple villager or another weekly travelers, she glanced down.

Some folks stared at her like she was committing some type of crime by standing there, since it was rather strange just to see someone frozen like a statue looking out blankly in public. But for once, Annaliese didn't seem to think about what the others may have been assuming and even their countless stares. If only they had known truly why she was staring out.

She shut her eyes, feeling the wind slam against her neck or any other part of her back body that was unclothed.

And she stood there for nine fidget winters, ten stunning springs, ten humid summers and ten mild falls, each day, staring out at the horizon at the exact location she did the day before. It didn't matter the weather, the funny stares or the condition of what was surrounding her, she went out and stood straight and each time, she came home disappointed. But at the end of every gaze, Annaliese would close her eyes and whisper, "Come home".

***Screammmmmmm* Damn me! I'm exhausted as hell from school and all the crap I have joined! Don't get involved with school activities fair readers, they're the b***** that are fun! *Slam head on keyboard cuz me so tired***

**Frvytgjjugtf5rtuitrerd3454t6y67yuyuvkioxc4223m7yhf dfghjnbvxxcvuytrewarjkjbvfcd**

**review plz! Thank.**


	4. Chapter 4

There was something about the autumn air during the coming months of winter. It had an indescribable smell to it, like every breathtaking scent you loved was stirred together creating the most heavenly aroma. That was the air in the market; it was not infested by industrial fogs or contaminated with anything harrowing like other places.

Annaliese re-opened her eyes once she felt the smell of it tingle in her nostrils, looking out to the falling sun and rousing obscurity sky. She brushed her brown coiled locks away from her face irritatedly as she kept her eyes upon the sun. "I guess you won't be coming home tonight," she mumbled to herself as she glanced down at the cobblestone ground, with a sly chuckle. "But what's the point?"

She set her up, gazing around at her surroundings and pleading in her mind for his small figure to appear in the far distant. He would appear and he would be safe, he wouldn't have anything to prove that he had got hurt and then he would explain on where he had been. He would be all right. Everything would be all right.

But there was a difference, Annaliese knew, between fabricated tales of the happy ending and reality. Reality was Barry had failed with his expert thief skills that night and showing no mercy, Reaver shot him with the simple one bullet. And how would anyone know? To Reaver, Barry was a parasite intruding in his daily life and above all worse things, he was intrusive by stealing his precious jewels. The man could be able to buy anything he wanted, in fact he go repurchases something twice as better in quality if he was to lose it, yet having to re-buy was too much of a burden for Reaver, he would rather take the matters into his own fair hands.

And above all things, why would he even mention to anyone if he shot that petite redhead who was sneaking into his house? How did it benefit him? And for a wealthy man like Reaver, anything that was not for his advantage, there would be no point in using it, or even acknowledging it. So, for Annaliese, she would be living in the dark on the state of her brother.

Some days she would invent a scenario, so crazed that it may have been real. Annaliese told herself that he may have snuck out alive, yet before he came out he was spotted by a lonely patrol guard who was assigned to his post and rested there for any chaos. He then noticed the boy in the corner of his vision and pulls out his rifle that even shines in the dark night. But Barry was quick and dodged the bullet just in time to spare himself and ran into Silverpine's murky forest that was contaminated with bandits and balverines. However, he dashed through those overgrown thickets and full-grown pine trees, but before he run out of luck he stumbled down upon the small village that was isolated in the woods.

Lying was a comfort for Annaliese; it was a glimpse of hope in some ways.

'You know," she said as begun to talk with herself again, but imaging in her head that Barry was there, "I have always, always hated royalty, I mean the king's the biggest reason I'm here on the streets. And if I could, I would strike him down in a heartbeat….yet...yet I think I may have to let go of my pride for a few months….I found an advertisement, seems they need help maid and servant wise." She shook her head, disappointed in herself and shot it back up. "I'm ashamed to say I lost the house, after mum died and Emmeline left I couldn't pay for it, any job I got I had been….I just couldn't do it, never was able to make pies or mend a dress like mum could. But I can't go living on the streets, it seems easy but it's the biggest bugger you could ever deal with.

"The advertisement says about room and board for proper work and I'm most definitely stupid and numb sculled...and above all things desperate to take it. So if your ghost is flying around, I just wanted to tell you I'm so sorry for losing everything and abounding everything I despised just for comfort."

She stood there for a few seconds, almost like she was expecting a supernatural reply, but nothing happened. Everything was it's usual self.

"Then you maybe not dead after all," whispered Annaliese gleefully while bending down to pick up her carpenter bag that was lightweight, packed with her few items that came to some value. For a second time she remained still statue, here eyes didn't move, nor did they blink, the only moved was her hair in the wind.

She sniffled her nose a little from the cold and turned around to see a new path of stone roads, and red banners with the Guild symbol in crisp gold, hanging onto an iron pole in each side. The steps were low grounded and distant and they begun at two large shady trees near the blacksmith and the tavern. Farther down was a row of three-story homes, one on the left being Annaliese's home. Many were identical, the oak doors hinges, framed glass windows, and bricks created the first layer, yet wood made the second and each one had a lamp post of three lamps, one in the middle, one to the left and one to the right, outside it's door or near it's door.

She took petite steps, inching away from the tower gradually like she was doubting herself. She kept her head down with every move, ignoring the scenery. Annaliese walked onto the shadows, knowing now she was underneath the trees and steps away from her long-last house that was now occupied by new residents, yet her head remained low as she walked farther down the street, with every bit of her heart dying inside.

It felt years before she found herself at the two lost iron poles that were on the edge of the medium height block that was the exit of Bowerstone Market. You could see down the street it was another path with iron poles and the banners hanging, distant low leveled steps, but this is where the rows of houses stopped, now it was just a pleasant meadow with a road made from stone in the center of it.

Annaliese curved her head while in her mind she said goodbye to the renowned town and started her way to the castle. What a journey she had begun and she hadn't even known it yet.

Her flat black shoes with a small heel were not made for such a prolonged walk as Annaliese had. Halfway through there was a sting pain of exhaustion in her legs, yet she almost ran once she noticed the archway bridge in the far distance of her eyes. That was rather surprising though, a larger part of her dreaded coming back to the castle, it was only that time when she was younger with Barry and Emmeline that she had seen it recently. And it had made far more improvements to the architect and gardening too it.

At the entrance of the other side of the archway there was a small patch of green colored grass, a small bird bath carved beautifully from stone and a hanging lamp stabbed within the dirt. There were also peach colored roses and light blue flowers that were planted near.

In the front near the start of the staircase were delicately trimmed hedges, and a hedge trimmed to be a swan like design on both sides. And then the staircase wrapped around to the small balcony and the entrance doors that were taller than a man himself.

Annaliese looked up to the vast Castle and could not see the highest point of it for the beaming sun blinded her vision, yet she could the magnificent stone design that made it so extraordinary. Even she, one filled with judgment and envy, could not help but see how rare it was. And in the middle of it was a blue like colored clock with white hand.

Once she got to the balcony and faced those humongous doors, she found a soldier already in waiting.

"Hold your passage!" he boomed leaning his hand towards his rifle, although he saw no harm in Annaliese. "What business do you have at Bowerstone Castle?"

The soldier was rather frightening, Annaliese had soldiers guarding around the market but they were friendly like normal people, this soldier seemed boiling with anger.

"I've come for the maid's position," she replied calming her fears as she spoke clearly.

He stared at her for a while, and then put his rifle aside. "Yes, well then I shall call the head of the servants." It was then he opened those grand doors with a great strength and those gradually separated from each other. He took three steps in and Annaliese came behind, just enough to see the beauty of the inside of the infamous castle. "Wait here," the soldier demanded as he wandered off to the left doorway, leaving the women behind.

It gave her the perfect opportunity to examine her new home, her new home that everyone dreamed of seeing. Think about it, a larger amount of Albion's population had never even seen the inside of the castle, paintings and sketches of it were seen, but never the feel of the true inside. And it could never be near as those pictures were; they lacked the majestic purple color of the entrance rug that went in both directions, to the right doorway across the entrance and to the left, along with going across the staircase with two candle holsters on each end.

"And who would you be?" a thick female voice questioned to Annaliese's side.

It was a woman who looked approximately fifty, with frown wrinkles and baggy under eyes. She was thicker in the thighs and had a larger chest upon her that shagged down. Her hair was a vibrant black color with lines of silver on the top, and the rest of her hair was pulled into a tight bun that was perfectly shaped and not a hair was out of place. She had a muscular face, with pupils filled with a killer green color, eyebrows thicker than her hair and nude colored lips.

She wore a very light colored blue dress, with bleached white apron over it that had lace arm straps. Her stockings, that could be seen, was a noir black, matching with her leather boots that had a tall heel, making her appear taller than she truly was.

"I'm Annaliese," the young women answered silently. "I've come to try for the maid's position."

"Hm, and what makes you different from the fifty other women who have come to apply for this job?" asked the women with raising eyebrows.

Feeling interrogated she took a few steps back. And the statement 'fifty other women' made her feel uneasy, knowing that her chances would be incredibly small to be hired, this was her last chance for a job. She had no gold, no home and no family. "I'm in need for job," she asked, giving no other detail.

"Was there no jobs you toil for in where you live?"

"It seems they weren't fitting for me."

"So you believe laboring in the grandest home in Albion, ran by a count of twenty-seven gardeners, maids, butlers, cooks and other staff all catering to one family and under the rule of one man would be fitting for you, Ms...you have seem to avoid using your last name, is it one that trails a shameful history?"

Annaliese bit her side lip as she grumbled, "Hatch, my name is Annaliese Hatch, Ms. Hatch and to answer to your following question, I'm in need of room too and I'm willing to work for it."

She had not even known the woman's name, but she found a boiling hate for her. Beside anger, she felt embarrassed mentioning that she had no home to a complete stranger.

"Castles are not boarding house or a shelter home, , we require strict humans that will be obedient and useful for our work."

"And that is why I said I'm willing to work."

The women gave out a wide smirk, scornful, but happy, although Annaliese couldn't understand why. This 'interview' seemed to be completely useless and misguiding.

"Fifteen of those fifty women could not even get pass my questioning without declaring me rude or mean or weeping their small eyes out." Her smile was held on her face as she talked. "I congratulate you Miss. Hatch, you have shown great endurance, a characteristic trait that is much required when working in the Castle."

Annaliese's eyes widen, with her eyebrows springing up. It stunned her, so much she became speechless. Her voice was faint as she said, "Thank...thank you, Miss?"

"You may call me Patricia and that is all need. I have been a servant to the royal family for thirty years of my life, serving the old and new generation of royals and have become top assistant," she answered confidently and still with that grin that came off as nice, yet deadly.

She quickly turned around and started towards the left doorway, while she continued her speech, "You will be in training for the next two weeks, until the end you will be told if you are well enough to be and aid for the Albion King, do you understand?" asked Patricia who walked down the small passage into the exquisite dinning room, with a shining, gold chandelier hanging on top of the long oak table, with a green runner across it.

Annaliese stayed two steps away and kept her focus on the elderly women. "Yes."

"Good. You will begin in the kitchen as a cooking staff member, and then you will try as a maid and assistant. If you are to pass the trial you shall receive a schedule which will be daily chores for each day until told differently from myself or a royal family member who is offended by your work. If your work is to be found unseemly, lacking quality or done too quickly three times you will be escorted from the Castle and to Bowerstone, where you will be locked in the cells for five nights to be humiliated and shame shall be brought onto your name," she explained then twirled around, staring fully eye to eye with the girl. "Have I made myself clear?"

A fear ran over her as she saw the screeching darkness in the woman's eye. Patricia seemed to be the devil, she had this wicked grin that was filled with scheming and bitterness, yet it seemed to be friendly, warm and misleading. There was nothing she said really, there was nothing she did, she just came off as evil.

"Yes, you have," muttered Annaliese.

A wider smile came to her face, "A common answer, and a more common lie." She took Annaliese down a dropping stairway, still with the dark enchanting walls and purple flooring, with a silver armory to the sides, against the stained glass windows. "For when addressing the royal family's desires you shall call them miss, madam or sir, like any other servant or worker in here. Respect is needed. Unless it is the King, you then will only call him 'your majesty'. Fail to do so; the royal member will be in charged of your punishment."

"Yes, madam," the young women almost growled.

"Good and you are to never to speak out of turn when talking with the King or any royal subject. When they call for you, you will arrive in one minute and fifty seconds with whatever their desires are, not a second off of schedule, in less it is indicated as an emergency. You are to never talk with the lords, only to thank them and or informed why you had invaded their privacy. Any other social is off limited, in less they engage you. You will obey every request they have you, you will stay obedient and on task during the whole day, even at night you will be on duty, on time and obedient, understood?"

"And the room and board, what about that?"

Patricia let out a heavy sigh as she entered the dull looking kitchen. "Seems that is your main topic, Ms. Hatch. I will have the other servants point you to the servants' quarters," she said while standing there in front of Annaliese. "It is not far, just a short stroll through the garden and on the far of your right is a large dungeon door, behind it is where you shall have your meals, rest, bathe and do all your other personal business. You are to be up before sunrise tomorrow, neat and proper in your uniform that will be given to you tonight. You will have clean hair, freshly washed and pull back into a bun, with not a hair wandering around. You will wear no makeup, but keep your skin properly cleansed. No uniform should have a crease in it, dirt satin or anything else that would make it looked marred."

They had a stare off for almost a minute, Patricia's old eyes of green just gazing at Annaliese, no fear, no sadness, nothing but this blank expression with a look of a smirk from her nude lips. She took a silent gulp after asking, "Any other information will be given by the servants." She twisted her hips to look behind her at the kitchen crew, a chef and his two assistance. "Mildred!" barked Patricia, making a petite brunette standing near the center table look up from her shredding carrots.

"Yes ma'am?" she asked with a bubblier voice.

"Annaliese, Mildred will help you find your way," Patricia said turning to Annaliese, then begun to leave. "Oh and Annaliese, good luck to you. I like to believe this job needs much, and luck is one of those things."

**F*** me I suck! Uuuuuuuuuughhhh, any way review if you can. Thanks.**


	5. Chapter 5

Once Patricia's shadow had vanished Annaliese stood in a stiff position, skimming with only her eyes around the kitchen that was to be her newest home. Her ears twitched to the sound of the fire flickering, reminding her of when she was young, her father kept the fire going through the night during the autumn days since their home was so poorly structured that there were fidget drafts that would interrupt their sleep. It had the same sound to it, the embers encountering against the wood, it gave her a relief to the pit of fear in the core of her stomach. A memory of the past was soothing, just not the part where her father abandoned them.

"Are you from Bowerstone?" that bubbly voice that Annaliese had just recently heard asked.

It took the women a shy moment before she escaped from her memories and returned to present time. "Uh yes I am…."

"The market or old town?"

"The north side of Bowerstone Market, across the tavern."

Mildred mouthed a quiet 'oh' while her head curved to vivid orange carrots resting upon the wooden chopping board. She took steps slowly to them as she continued to talk. "Annaliese, right?" asked Mildred.

"Yup, Annaliese Hatch," replied the woman, cowering nearing the wall.

Mildred had already reached the table once she had replied and now the gleaming knife with a keen blade was colliding with the carrots. Her waist shredded them in seconds, in an instant they were magnificently straight and all in a pile. "That's a beautiful name!" she beamed.

"Oh...thank you," quietly Annaliese spoke.

"Are you worried about working here, I know this place is large as hell that it sure can come off as imitating!"

"Kind of….it seems there's a lot of petty things you have to care about."

Mildred gave a shrug, then hauled away a strain of descending hair. She curved her shoulders, yet her waist remained in front of the table. "Thought the same thing when I joined...like I don't know maybe four, five years ago, don't remember when, just remembered it was when the orphanage said I was too old to board any more."

Annaliese's mouth popped open an inch, with her left eyebrow roused up.

It dazed Annaliese to even imagine Mildred in an orphanage, her attitude was energetic in her first impression, where a child raised in an orphanage would appear agitated in her view. She had seen the orphanage, set right next to the fuming factories that filled it's air with chemicals. It was tattered, the walls on the outside were descending to the dead grass, the paint could peeled with one grasp. And rumored that children who stayed there were demanded to clean the orphanage and if they were to refuse or complain they were locked in the closet, where they were spared of food and water. Or sometimes whipped on the back with a snake rope.

It was only a rumor and Annaliese liked for it to remain that way, the thought of children being neglected in such disturbing methods, it brought a tremble up her spin. But it made her look deeper into Mildred, if that was the truth then she was repeating history. She was controlled to the point where she would be locked away in darkness her childhood, now was severing a man who hadn't even care to know her name, yet if she had a mishap she would shamed for the rest of her existence. It's as if her whole life was toil for the thoughtless.

"You were from the orphanage?" asked Annaliese.

"Yup, I grew up my whole life there, never had a long term parent."

"Do you know them...at all?"

"Nope, I was told by the matron that I was left in one of the alleyways of the industrial and brought to them."

"Oh...wow….I'm so sorry." Annaliese felt pity for the girls, an incident such as that could only impair them.

"It was actually okay, save the condition of the place, I got adopted by this couple in Millfield when I was three and stayed there for two years," she explained with a dying smile. "They later had a son...they sent me back to the orphanage 'cause they didn't need two kids. Kind of made sense, besides, I was always with the servants.

"Later by seven years old I was taken in by this guy from Brightwall because his wife had passed a few years ago and his kids had got up and left so I was like a child to him. But he died when I twelve. I didn't want to return so I was hiding on the streets with some beggars, they were quite nice considering and we traveled back to Bowerstone."

"So what happened, did they find you?"

"Yeah some soldiers on duty took me back saying it was unstabled, the matron was pleased to see me arrive. Luckily I turned eighteen and I was forced to leave." Mildred's head return to stare at Annaliese who was peeling away from the walls. "Since this has got off topic what's your story?"

Annaliese stared at her for a moment, heisting to express anything. It felt awkward, not to Mildred who easily felt no shame in explaining her life story. "I'm just a citizen from Bowerstone Market who needed a job, I don't really have anything else I can say," she muttered.

Mildred nodded, but now with a blank appearance. She returned to the preparations of shredding carrots and now grabbing for an onion that was on the rim on the sink and placing it onto the chopping board. Then she retrieved a knife, unused, but had the same gleaming blade like the previous one she used. "So why did you take this job, there must be a reason….to be truthful I don't think many people would want to do all this no matter the circumstances. Just me, of course."

"Well, as long as you don't judge -" Annaliese started to mutter before being interrupted.

"I never judge! It sucks the fun out of what you love."

Annaliese nodded. "I won't differ on that."

"Come on, you can tell me, heck I am confident that it's something petty."

"I've been living on the streets for a week now because I couldn't pay for my family home and got by….by stealing." Annaliese hid her face and stared down at the solid ground while mumbling, "I've scooped as low as Barry."

Mildred's ears perked up and sprung around. "Who's Barry?"

"Hm? Oh Barry is, was my brother, my oldest brother," she replied as she returned to proper thought.

She nodded slightly, with a closed smile and put her attention back on cutting the onion, her gore styled black skirt swinging with her. "He's dead I taken, because you said 'was' in less it's something else," informed Mildred.

"I don't know, I haven't seen him in years."

She did one of her common 'oh's with keeping her back towards Annaliese.

Annaliese stood back, still to the doorway, listening to the sound of the fire, until she finally said, "But he's not dead...he's not, I just don't know where he is."

The hours in the kitchen felt as if it truly was a year, the time was like a filled hour glass, yet each piece of sand would fall after five minutes. And making all matters much worse the conversation died to the point Annaliese had returned to cowering to the walls and Mildred had too deep of attention on preparing that she couldn't remember the newest staff member in training was still in the room.

The sun was fading as the black air swallowed it's light, and soon the air transformed into a murky sky.

It was bittersweet for Annaliese, finally she escaped the silence of the kitchen and would see her new room and unpack the few belongings she had decided to take with her. It would be so magnificent to rest, to disappear for a moment in her sleep, yet sleep would only bring another day and the first one of her training.

Once her and Mildred had stepped out of the kitchen, into the lite garden and their feet fell upon marveled stone made in specialized pattern, Annaliese came to reality and thought of the great challenges it would truly be. She had rarely cleaned since she had no home, even when she was young she couldn't handle a broom properly enough to acceptably sweep. Yet mind her cleaning, her cooking was fair, although she occasionally would become occupied with far more intriguing things that stole her attention.

"Here we are, welcome to our bedroom," Mildred announced, catching Annaliese off guard as she found them at the dungeon door Patricia had mentioned before.

It took her a great deal of time to open it considering it's large size, but with a moan it swung to the side and revealed a squared room, a dark gray stoned flooring covered the ground and the walls were a white washed color. They were bare and spared color.

There were an estimated fifteen rustic iron frame beds that somehow crammed together in the room, five were to the east and west wall, the other two were put on the sides of the entrance and three others were against the north wall. Each had a wool brown quilt covering the mattress and an eggshell white pillow leaning against the from. And a tattered bed stands with a small candle in a golden holder on each.

"What do you think? Horrible?" asked Mildred.

"It's fine," replied Annaliese, observing the room from her standing point. "Small though, wouldn't you agree? I mean, how many workers are in the castle."

"Think it's about forty seven, maybe a little more, this is just a certain section, for more higher servants like Patricia, the head chef, the private servants, including Jasper, he's the royal family's butler, I'm sure you'll see him tomorrow," Mildred explained while sneaking away from the entrance and to the back of the room where the dressing shade was placed. "Sorry to tell ya, we're not high servants,it takes years or a royal member just to notice you to become one. Not that this all bad, we bunk with some kind people and they keep their spot tidy so…."

She nodded in agreement, the room didn't have much importance yet it was properly organized.

Annaliese gazed back towards Mildred who was striving to haul out she shade, each second groaning or mumbling underneath her diminutive breath. "They'll make you feel...welcomed."

Finally, the shade budged. Mildred was able to scoot it to the center of the north wall, with a sigh loud enough that the sound of it filled the room. "There we go….you can change for nighttime behind here," she said proudly. "The other workers are going to be coming in quick so I say dress fast."

"Thanks," Annaliese muttered as she tossed her bag on one of the beds, indicating it was now hers.

She unclipped her bag, then begun to rustle through her items. Her nightgown, a cherry red color that matched perfectly with her auburn hair that had streaks of vivid red coiling through her locks, was placed on the bottom. There was a long val that was stitched on the cotton fabric at the chest part and expanded downwards to the skirt. It had raglan sleeves and a heart styled neckline.

"That's absolutely gorgeous!" squealed Mildred the moment the dress was revealed. She rushed over and caressed against it, feeling the smooth fabric underneath the val. "Did a tailor make this for you?"

"My mother actually. She would make dresses then sell them to the tailor when she was out of stock." She forced a smile upon her face as she said, "She made this a couple years ago, it was the last dress she ever made."

"She died?" Mildred questioned.

Annaliese only gave a nod.

"I'm sorry, you sure have had a run through the mill."

"Yup."

"Was she your only family member, un-including your brother?"

"The only one who didn't abandon me."

Annaliese was already resting in the bed when she could hear the strident noise of the door beginning to open and countless voices entering the room. She knew it was the staff and she knew that it was impolite to pretend to be sleeping and not introduce herself, yet she was too fatigued and all too anxious to get up.

She coddled the blanket that covered her and sunk her head farther into the pillow, her curls sweeping across as she glanced up to the wall, thinking the thought in her head,

_Gods...why am I doing this_

**Where on earth do I begin?**

**Ok, I think I know….**

**First, RoseZemlya'sFavoriteFan, when I first saw your review I was like, 'Must we really resort to sarcasm!' But then as I continue to skim through me Yahoo Mail I see you put both me and my story as a favorite and followed us and so then I was like 'Ohhhhhhh, hehe, maybe they ain't being sarcastic….." **

**Lol! Anyway sry for the delay I kinda gave up on this story like a month ago but ya know cuz people are so awesome and followed it maybe I'll continue…..? Maybe! Okay yes, I'm bored during my lunchtime so I'll just write chapters on my Chrome book! and in biology and world studies….and other classes! **

**btw, long notes, sry, I'm a little bummed at the moment and tired didn't really edit this chapter! next one will be better.**

**Tatty bye I'll get the next chapter up next Friday!**


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